


a home in you

by smallorbits



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Gen, Hybrids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 23:37:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7458106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallorbits/pseuds/smallorbits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>chanyeol meets a kitten at the shelter and refuses to go home without him</p>
            </blockquote>





	a home in you

  
  
“Have you put your socks on, Chanyeol?” Joonmyun calls out as he hurries from room to room, picking up all the items they need to go out.  
  
Chanyeol lies on Joonmyun’s bed and hangs his head over the end of the bed, watching Joonmyun scuttle around upside-down. The world looks loopy and funny like this, enough to make Chanyeol forget about how hot the socks on his feet make him feel, even if he’s wearing his favourite pink socks.  
  
“Hurry up, Chanyeol,” Joonmyun pokes his head into the bedroom again and urges.

  
Chanyeol sniffs the air and shoots upright, moving so fast his head gets a little dizzy. “Are we going to Jongdae’s?”  
  
“Yes, didn’t I tell you over breakfast?”  
  
He might have, but this morning Joonmyun made bear shaped waffles using the Rilakkuma waffle maker and Chanyeol was too busy digging into his breakfast to hear anything Joonmyun said.  
  
Chanyeol knows they’re going to Jongdae’s though because Joonmyun is wearing his cologne, and he only ever puts on his cologne when he goes to meet Jongdae. Chanyeol doesn’t even understand why he does it, because how would Jongdae know Joonmyun is interested in him if he drowns his pheromones in a stronger smelling scent?  
  
He asked Joonmyun that once and Joonmyun had turned all red before explaining that it’s polite to smell nice for people you like.  
  
Chanyeol really likes Jongdae, so he gets his own strawberry perfume out of the closet and spritzes it into the air, leaping into the cloud of perfume with a spin.  
  
Pressing the underside of his wrist to his nose, Chanyeol breathes in and beams. Now he smells good and polite too.  
  
“Ready to go?” Joonmyun offers out a hand and cocks his head expectantly at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol nods eagerly and takes Joonmyun’s hand.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chanyeol wriggles all the way in the car once he finds out that they aren’t going to Jongdae’s home, but to his workplace at the shelter. He’s really glad he put on perfume now and Joonmyun good naturedly entertains Chanyeol's excited questions about the new hybrids at the shelter.  
  
“Jongdae mentioned that a new litter of kittens came in a few weeks ago, so maybe you can play with them.”  
  
Chanyeol is so overjoyed that he leaps in his seat and bumps his head on the ceiling of the car.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chanyeol is still pouting and rubbing at the slowly forming bruise on his head when they arrive at the shelter. He forgets about the pain once he sees Jongdae and prances forward to run circles around Jongdae's legs, drawing a laugh from Jongdae. Chanyeol presses his cheek against Jongdae's thigh and happily lets Jongdae pet his ears, tail wagging up a storm.  
  
"Hi, Joonmyun." Jongdae looks more feline than the kittens Chanyeol sees sometimes, especially when Jongdae quirks his mouth in that lopsided smile that makes Joonmyun's face pinch up like he ate something sour.  
  
"H-hey." Joonmyun starts smelling all funny, even over the strength of his cologne, and this is Chanyeol’s cue to scamper away to check out the new hybrids.  
  
  
  
  
He doesn't find any new hybrids in the play pens out back, only Sehun the persian hybrid, who is stretched out lazily on the couch.  
  
"Where are the new kittens!" Chanyeol's ears flick back and forth and he runs around the room, sniffing to find the new friends.  
  
Sehun opens one eye and looks at Chanyeol, deciding whether it's worth his energy to answer Chanyeol. "Minseok brought them out to play."  
  
Chanyeol flops down next to Sehun and pushes his nose into Sehun's nape. "I missed the kittens?"  
  
"You have me," Sehun says dryly, but they both know Sehun doesn't like to tumble around and play fight like Chanyeol likes to. He points to the corner of the room where the beanbags are. "And Jongin. Good luck getting him to play with you."  
  
"Jongin?" Chanyeol perks up and heads towards the beanbags, gasping when he finds a kitten he's never seen before curled into a ball. He can't see much of Jongin's face since the kitten has it partially hidden under a thick tuff of black hair, but Jongin smells so nice, like baby powder and cinammon, and Chanyeol immediately wants to leap on him to introduce himself.  
  
Joonmyun always tells him to play nice though and Chanyeol scrunches his nose up, trying to remember what Joonmyun taught him. He stands on his tip toes to see Jongin better, marvelling at how cute the kitten looks.  
  
"I'm Chanyeol!" he says perhaps too loudly.  
  
Jongin lifts his head up and unfurls himself, stretching his arms and lying on his back. He’s even cuter than Chanyeol imagined, all droopy eyes and pouty lips. He's smaller than Chanyeol, probably by at least a whole head, but from the looks of it, Jongin must be younger than Chanyeol too.  
  
"Play with me," Chanyeol whispers at Jongin, but Jongin only yawns sleepily and shakes his head. His sleek black tail swishes out and brushes past Chanyeol's cheek as a hello, and Jongin blinks up curiously at Chanyeol.  
  
Sehun snorts. "Told you. Jongin is a quiet cat, not like you."  
  
He's okay with quiet. Chanyeol may not be _good_ at being quiet, but he can try. "Can I lie next to you then? Quietly," he adds quickly.  
  
Jongin doesn't say anything but he does roll over on his side, enough to leave a Chanyeol-shaped space. It's as good as an invitation as any and Chanyeol takes the chance to climb into the beanbag, legs kicking out to push himself onto the beanbag.  
  
He settles down next to the kitten and lies facing Jongin, grin breaking out on his face when he sees Jongin watching him too.  
  
Chanyeol is almost vibrating in his joy of meeting a new friend but he holds his breath until he can will his butterfly tummy tingles away and calm down. The urge to lick Jongin's nose rises, because he knows the Jongin will do something cute like scrunch up his nose or pull back in surprise, but something tells him that he needs to take it slow with the kitten.  
  
They stare at each other for a beat, Jongin carefully calculating whether this loud puppy can be trusted. Bit by bit, Chanyeol can see the tension leave Jongin in the way Jongin's tail softens, until finally Jongin darts his hand out to hold the edge of Chanyeol's shirt, a silent way of opening up.  
  
"Hi," Chanyeol says softly, letting out a small sigh of relief.  
  
To his surprise, Jongin giggles, a short burst of melodic laughter that has the wariness melting from his face. Jongin's eyes curve into little half moons and Chanyeol can't help but laugh along.  
  
Jongin immediately stops laughing, holding his hands up to cover his mouth, eyes wide.  
  
"I like you," Chanyeol decides. He scoots closer to Jongin and presses their foreheads together, looking straight into Jongin's saucer eyes. Jongin makes no move to pull away, just grips Chanyeol's shirt tighter.  
  
"You can't just say things like that, dumb dog," Sehun scolds from where he has been watching the two.  
  
"I like you, Jongin," Chanyeol repeats and feels a new burst of happiness in his tummy when Jongin blushes a pretty pink and hides his face with his tail.  
  
  
  
  
  
When Joonmyun calls for him, Chanyeol patters outside, leading Jongin by the hand. "Look Joonmyun, this is Jongin."  
  
Joonmyun barely spares them a glance and pets Chanyeol on the head. "Cute."  
  
"So, 7 o'clock tomorrow?" Jongdae says with a little wave as he leans against the door frame.  
  
Joonmyun pulls out finger guns and points them at Jongdae, seeming to falter halfway through the gesture. He stuffs his hands back into his pockets and Jongdae is staring at him so fondly that Chanyeol watches them curiously. "I'll pick you up. At 7."  
  
"I'll meet you in the car!" Chanyeol says and runs off, but both humans barely notice.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chanyeol waits in the car for a good 10 minutes for Joonmyun to come. Joonmyun smells like Jongdae when he returns, but Jongdae smells nice anyway and Chanyeol thinks that he likes the way they both smell like each other.  
  
“I wanted to sit in the back,” Chanyeol tells Joonmyun, voice a little muffled and Joonmyun nods, distracted by the way Jongdae is blowing a flying kiss in their direction.  
  
“Wear your seatbelt, Chanyeol,” Joonmyun says, glancing briefly at the backseat. “Help Jongin wear his seatbelt too.”  
  
“Okay!”  
  
Joonmyun nods and returns his attention to the roads. It takes a full 5 minutes of unusual silence before Joonmyun almost slams on the brakes. He pulls to the side of the road with a screech, startling a hiccup out of Chanyeol's new friend.  
  
“Did you _smuggle_ the kitten out?”  
  
“Snuggle?” Chanyeol asks, blinking up at Joonmyun. He can do that. He’s already holding Jongin in his arms, tucking the kitten’s head under his chin. Jongin clings to him just as tightly, pressing his face into Chanyeol's neck.  
  
“No, I meant-“ Joonmyun cuts himself off and sighs, pressing his fingers to his forehead.  
  
Most days, he finds Chanyeol’s antics absolutely adorable. Other days, Joonmyun has to breathe and remember that taking care of a hybrid is like taking care of a small child.  
  
"You're not supposed to bring Jongin out!" He chids, pulling his phone and looking up Jongdae's contact.  
  
"But," Chanyeol's voice wavers as he hugs the kitten closer. "But Jongin."  
  
"Stay with Chanyeol," Jongin murmurs, refusing to look at Joonmyun. He's practically koala hugging Chanyeol by now, Chanyeol throwing both arms around him protectively like a hovery older brother.  
  
Joonmyun's lips press into a thin line. "I'll speak to Jongdae and see what we'll do." With a deep sigh, he climbs out of the car and starts talking into his phone.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you okay?" Chanyeol says urgently as soon as Joonmyun is out of the car. Jongin leans back and stares down at his hands, nodding his head.  
  
"Am I going back?" Jongin asks softly. "Sorry."  
  
"Not your fault!" Chanyeol yelps. He frowns and pulls at Jongin's hands to lace their fingers together. "Mine, for not telling Jongdae and Joonmyun. And I won't let you go back."  
  
Joonmyun comes back to find the two hybrids whispering to each other. They spring apart when they notice Joonmyun and Joonmyun has to fight the smile that threatens to burst from his lips at how cute they are.  
  
"Tomorrow we're bringing Jongin right back, okay?" Joonmyun says sternly.  
  
Chanyeol grips Jongin's hand tighter and nods. Jongin glances worriedly at him and Chanyeol gently rubs Jongin’s ears to reassure him.  
  
A whole night is plenty of time to convince Joonmyun that Jongin can stay.  
  
"Now let's go home, little ones."  
  
But somehow, it seems like the battle is already half won.  
  
  


_end._

  
  
  
---  
  
**Author's Note:**

> this is my? 5th? hybrid au so far i'm so sorry i love kittens and puppies and tiny non-humans.


End file.
